The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Dahlia plant, botanically known as Dahlia hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Melody Gipsyxe2x80x99.
The new Dahlia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Lisse, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Dahlia cultivars with uniform growth habit, decorative inflorescence form, attractive ray floret colors, and good inflorescence longevity.
The new Dahlia originated from a cross pollination made by the Inventor in 1997 of the Dahlia hybrida cultivar VDW 57, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Dahlia hybrida cultivar Alfred Grille, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Dahlia was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environment in Lisse, The Netherlands, in 1997. The selection of this plant was based on its uniform plant habit and attractive ray floret coloration.
Asexual reproduction of the new Dahlia by cuttings was first conducted in Lisse, The Netherlands. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Dahlia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar xe2x80x98Melody Gipsyxe2x80x99 has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, light intensity, water and nutritional status without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Melody Gipsyxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Melody Gipsyxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Dahlia:
1. Upright, somewhat outwardly spreading and uniform plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit, full and dense plants.
3. Dark green foliage.
4. Freely flowering habit.
5. Semi-cactus inflorescence form with inflorescences positioned above the foliage.
6. Pink and yellow bi-colored ray florets.
7. Excellent garden performance.
Compared to plants of the female parent, the cultivar VDW 57, plants of the new Dahlia are more compact, have larger inflorescences, are more freely flowering, and differ in ray floret coloration as plants of the cultivar VDW 57 have orange-colored ray florets. Compared to plants of the male parent, the cultivar Alfred Grille, plants of the new Dahlia are more compact, are more freely flowering and have longer-lasting inflorescences.
Plants of the new Dahlia can be compared to plants of the Dahlia cultivar Park Princess, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Lisse, The Netherlands, plants of the new Dahlia were more freely branching, were bushier, and had larger and longer lasting inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Park Princess.